Ubisoft announces its results for the first half of the fiscal year

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Matthew Vincent Paul
5 years ago
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1 Ubisoft announces its results for the first half of the fiscal year Sales 1 up 52%. Marked improvement in profitability: o Current operating income 2 up 43 million to a positive 9 million. o Net income totals 31 million games release schedule updated Outlook confirmed. Paris, November 20, 2007 Today Ubisoft, one of the world s largest video game publishers, released its results for the six months September 30, Key financial data In millions H % H % Sales Gross profit % % R&D expenses % % SG&A expenses % % Current operating income/(loss) before stock options % (33.6) -19.5% Operating income/(loss) % (35.3) -20.5% Net income/(loss) % (20.5) -11.9% Diluted earnings/(loss) per share (in ) 0.64 (0.36)* Cash flows from R & D investments Net cash/(debt) 18.7 (125.4) * After the two-for-one stock split. Yves Guillemot, CEO of Ubisoft, stated: "Ubisoft's excellent sales performance during the first half of fiscal has considerably boosted our earnings figures for the period. In addition, the early indications for our Christmas games launches have been positive, especially for Assassin's Creed tm, whose sell-through sales have already topped the record level of 1 million units. These very strong trends further underpin our confidence that we will achieve our objectives for the current year and add further impetus for fiscal , which we expect to be a another year of robust growth for the Group." 1 Sales figures for the first half of fiscal were released on October 23, Before the impact of stock-based compensation ( before stock options ). 3 After adjustments relating to logistics costs which have been reclassified from SG&A expenses to Cost of sales.

2 Main income statement items Gross margin: 64.1% of sales. R&D expenses: 31.1% of sales. SG&A expenses: 29.5% of sales. Current operating income before stock options: 9 million. Gain of 7.5 million recorded following the positive outcome of a lawsuit. Net financial income: 12.6 million, including a 15.5 million gain arising from the Equity Swap million gain recorded on the sale of Gameloft shares. Diluted earnings per share: Sales for the first six months of came to 261 million, up 51.8%, or 55.1% at constant exchange rates. Gross margin represented 64.1% of sales, up from 59.4% in the comparable prior-year period. This strong increase was mainly driven by new generation games, which have a higher sale price and accounted for 75% of overall sales during the period versus 39% one year earlier. The gross margin figure now includes the impact of logistics costs which were previously classified under SG&A expenses. These costs amounted to 5.6 million during the period compared with 5.1 million in the first half of Current operating income before stock options totaled 9.1 million (3.4% of sales) compared with a 33.6 million loss recorded in first-half This robust improvement was primarily attributable to the following factors: A 65.4 million rise in gross profit. A considerable reduction in R&D expenses as a percentage of sales, particularly due to the solid level of back catalog sales. In first-half , R&D expenses totaled 81.3 million, representing 31.1% of sales, compared with 41.5% of sales ( 71.4 million) in the same period of The significant leverage effect generated by a tightly controlled 19.9% rise in SG&A expenses, well below the rate of sales growth for the period. SG&A expenses came to 77.2 million and represented 29.5% of sales, versus 37.4% in first-half ( 64.4 million). The main improvements were seen for fixed costs, which increased by only 8.5% to 47.2 million (from 43.5 million one year earlier), and, to a lesser extent, for variable marketing expenses which rose 43.5% to 30.0 million (versus 20.9 million in first-half ). Ubisoft the period with operating income of 12.5 million, compared with an operating loss of 35.3 million in first-half This figure includes stock option expenses of 4.0 million and a 7.5 million gain resulting from the positive outcome of a lawsuit. Net financial income came to 12.6 million (versus 3.3 million one year earlier), breaking down as follows: 0.6 million in financial charges against 4.7 million in first-half , reflecting the year-on-year decrease in the Group s debt. 2.3 million in foreign exchange losses versus foreign exchange gains of 1.0 million in first-half A 15.5 million positive impact attributable to the Equity Swap 4, compared with 7.0 million in first-half Transaction entered into with Calyon on September 30, 2003.

3 Following the sale of Ubisoft s Gameloft shares to Calyon in July 2007, the Group s share of profit of associates (principally Gameloft) decreased to almost zero from 2.9 million in first-half During the period Ubisoft recorded 14.8 million under "Net gain from operations of discontinued business segment" when Calyon sold 4.2 million of the total 13.4 million Gameloft shares. The Group the first six months of with net income of 30.6 million, compared with a net loss of 20.5 million one year earlier. Diluted earnings per share amounted to Excluding non-recurring items (i.e. the impact of the Gameloft share sale, the Equity Swap and the positive lawsuit outcome), the net income figure would amount to 0.9 million, versus a net loss of 27.6 million for first-half Main cash flow statement and balance sheet items Cash flows from operating activities came to a negative 42.7 million. This improvement on the negative 55.2 million reported in the first six months of reflects the impact of the robust increase in operating income, partly offset by a 16.9 million increase in working capital requirement, primarily as a result of the Equity Swap 4. At September 30, 2007, Ubisoft had a positive net cash position of 18.7 million compared with 55 million at March 31, The main movements during the period were as follows: Cash flows from operating activities amounting to a negative 42.7 million million arising from the sale of Gameloft shares. Investments of 16.9 million for the purchase of Sunflowers and the Anno brand. Capital increases totaling 5.7 million. 0.5 million in translation adjustments. Outlook Third-quarter business review The third quarter of fiscal got off to a good start with a number of new games released in November including Assassin's Creed, Rayman Raving Rabbids 2, Naruto : Rise of a Ninja, Beowulf, and the range of casual games. Assassin s Creed has already notched up record sell-through sales of over a million units, a positive sign that the brand will be successful and that Ubisoft has created another long-term franchise. The casual games including the Imagine, Petz and MyCoach brands have also recorded a solid early performance games release schedule updated Ubisoft today announced that Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 will be released during the fourth quarter of fiscal This release will capitalize on the success of the first episode. In addition, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction, previously scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of fiscal , will now form part of a stronger line-up for fiscal Lastly, Haze which was due for release during the third quarter of fiscal will now be launched in the fourth fiscal quarter. The targets previously announced by Ubisoft remain unchanged as they already took into account the possible impact of these delays as a preventive measure. Outlook for third-quarter and full-year confirmed Ubisoft is confident of achieving its targets for third-quarter and full-year , as announced on October 23, 2007 when it published its first-half sales figures, i.e. sales of approximately 330 million for the third quarter and around 825 million for the full fiscal year, as well as current operating income before stock options representing at least 9% of sales.

4 Recent significant events Ubisoft acquires Japanese video game development studio Digital Kids: Established in 1996, with offices in Nagoya and Osaka, Digital Kids currently has a team of 20 developers specialized in games for the Nintendo DS. The studio has worked regularly for a number of Japanese publishers and has developed several titles for Ubisoft s Petz line of games, including the highly successful Hamsterz Life. Financial calendar Release Date Third-quarter sales January 23, 2008 This date is subject to change and will be confirmed at a later stage Contact Investor relations Jean-Benoît Roquette Head of Investor Relations Jean-benoit.roquette@ubisoft.com/ir@ubisoft.fr Disclaimer This statement may contain estimated financial data, information on future projects and transactions and future business results/performance. Such forward-looking data are provided for estimation purposes only. They are subject to market risks and uncertainties and may vary significantly compared with the actual results that will be published. The estimated financial data have been presented to the Board of Directors and have not been audited by the Statutory Auditors. (Additional information is specified in the most recent Ubisoft Registration Document filed on June 27, 2007 with the French Financial Markets Authority (l'autorité des marchés financiers)). About Ubisoft Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through a strong and diversified line-up of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has offices in 21 countries and sales in more than 50 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. Ubisoft generated sales of 680 million for the fiscal year. To learn more, please visit Ubisoft Entertainment SA and Free Radical Design Limited. All Rights Reserved. Haze is a trademark of Ubisoft Entertainment and Free Radical Design. Free Radical Design and its associated logo are trademarks of Free Radical Design Limited. Developed by Free Radical Design Limited Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Imagine, Petz, Anno, Splinter Cell, Splinter Cell Conviction, Assassin s Creed, Rayman, Rayman Raving Rabbids, Hamsterz, Ubisoft, Ubi.com, and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. Rainbow Six, Red Storm and the Red Storm logo are trademarks of Red Storm Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. Red Storm Entertainment, Inc. is a Ubisoft Entertainment company. Beowulf: TM & 2007 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved. Game software: 2007 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Naruto Rise of a Ninja 2007 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved MASASHI KISHIMOTO. This product is manufactured, distributed and sold under license from TV TOKYO CORPORATION & SHUEISHA INC and from VIZ Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved DIGITALKIDS. All Rights Reserved. Published and distributed by Ubisoft Entertainment under license from DIGITAL KIDS. NINTENDO DS IS A TRADEMARK OF NINTENDO.

5 CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2007 Consolidated income statement Sales 261, ,110 Other operating income 89,871 76,660 Cost of sales (105,545) (67,806) Inventory changes 11,767 (2,044) Personnel costs (93,733) (79,758) Other operating expenses (78,124) (59,844) Tax and duty (2,840) (2,436) Depreciation and amortization (77,646) (72,163) Provisions (136) 104 Current operating income/(loss) 5,007 (35,177) Other income and expenses from operations 7,507 (152) Operating income/(loss) 12,514 (35,329) Income from cash and cash equivalents 1, Gross borrowing costs (1,489) (4,686) Net borrowing costs (452) (4,241) Financial income 21,928 13,325 Financial expenses (8,889) (5,823) Net financial income 12,587 3,261 Share of profit of associates -42 2,856 Income tax (9,273) 8,741 Net gain from operations of discontinued business segment 14,827 - Net income/(loss) of consolidated companies 30,613 (20,471) Minority interests - - Net income/(loss) 30,613 (20,471) Basic earnings/(loss) from ordinary activities per share 0.35 (0.50) (1) Basic earnings/(loss) from discontinued activities per share 0.32 Weighted average number of shares in issue (after 2-for-1 stock split) 45,684 41,124 Diluted earnings/(loss) from ordinary activities per share 0.33 (0.36) (1) Diluted earnings/(loss) from discontinued activities per share 0.31 Diluted weighted average number of shares in issue (after 2-for-1 stock split) 47,342 48,570 (1) Following the 2-for-1 stock split on December 11, 2006, the basic loss per share figure decreased from 1 to 0.50, and the diluted loss per share figure from 0.73 to 0.36.

6 Consolidated balance sheet ASSETS Net Net Goodwill 83,528 77,374 Other intangible assets 329, ,026 Tangible assets 25,071 25,510 Investments in associates 2,332 33,998 Non-current financial assets 2,493 2,458 Deferred income tax assets 31,571 37,630 Total non-current assets 474, ,996 Inventories 36,154 24,794 Trade receivables 55,148 87,857 Other receivables 82,341 73,959 Financial assets 88,965 19,183 Income tax receivable 12,543 10,605 Cash and cash equivalents 80, ,552 Total current assets 355, ,950 Total assets 829, ,946 EQUITY AND LIABILITIES Capital 7,095 7,037 Share premiums ,234 Consolidated reserves 103,412 38,990 Net income for the period 30,613 40,558 Equity (Group share) 586, ,819 Minority interests - Total equity 586, ,819 Provisions 2,124 1,952 Employee benefits 1,303 1,205 Borrowings 23,601 22,706 Deferred tax liabilities 36,810 28,214 Total non-current liabilities 63,838 54,077 Borrowings 38,125 48,874 Trade payables 59,817 81,178 Other payables 79,928 75,895 Income tax payable 1,882 2,103 Total current liabilities 179, ,050 Total equity and liabilities 829, ,946

7 Consolidated cash flow statement Cash flows from operating activities Net income/(loss) 30,613 (20,471) +/- Share of profit of associates (499) (2,856) +/- Net gain from operations of discontinued business segment (14,287) - +/- Depreciation and amortization 77,646 72,280 +/- Provisions (1,120) 4 +/- Cost of stock-based compensation 4,065 1,685 +/- Disposal gains and losses /- Other adjustments (748) (51) + Interest paid 1,578 2,665 + Income tax paid 1, Inventories (10,518) 1,876 Trade receivables 30,579 28,393 Other receivables (17,786) (6,487) Trade payables (24,103) (22,743) Other payables 4, /- Change in working capital requirement (16,938) 1,407 CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES 81,978 54,903 - Interest paid (1,578) (2,665) - Income tax paid (1,600) (207) NET CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES 78,800 52,031 - Acquisition of intangible and tangible fixed assets (129,445) (143,704) + Proceeds from sale of intangible and tangible fixed assets Acquisition of financial assets (10,320) (5,256) +/- Other flows related to investing activities (35) (30) + Proceeds from long-term loans and other financial assets 10,361 5,364 +/- Net gain from operations of discontinued business segment 25, /- Changes in Group structure (1) (16,937) - CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES (121,180) (143,567) Cash flows from financing activities + New financial lease loans New long- and medium-term loans - 5,885 - Repayments of financial lease borrowings (34) (146) - Repayments of other borrowings - (2,895) + Accrued interest - 1,058 + Proceeds from issue of capital 5,658 30,472 +/- Purchase/sale of own shares (48) 428 +/- Other - - CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES 5,600 34,802 Net change in cash and cash equivalents (36,781) (56,734) Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 78,653 80,894 Effect of exchange rate fluctuations Cash and cash equivalents at end of period 42,655 24,750 (1) including cash from companies acquired or sold

8 Cash flow statement for comparison with other industry players Unaudited Cash flows from operating activities Net income/(loss) 30,613 (20,471) +/- Share of profit of associates (499) (2,856) +/- Net gain from operations of discontinued business segment (14,287) - +/- Amortization of games software 69,386 65,099 +/- Other depreciation/amortization 8,260 7,181 +/- Provisions (1,120) 4 +/- Cost of stock-based compensation 4,065 1,685 +/- Disposal gains and losses /- Other adjustments (748) (51) +/- Costs related to internal development and development of licenses (121,481) (107,156) Cash flows from operations (25,744) (56,522) Inventories (10,518) 1,876 Trade receivables 30,579 28,393 Other receivables (17,786) (6,487) Trade payables (24,103) (22,743) Other payables 4, /-Change in working capital requirement (16,938) 1,407 CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES (42,682) (55,145) - Acquisition of intangible and tangible fixed assets (7,963) (9,961) + Proceeds from sale of intangible and tangible fixed assets Acquisition of financial assets (10,320) (5,257) +/- Other flows related to investing activities (35) (30) + Proceeds from long-term loans and other financial assets 10,361 5,364 +/- Net gain from operations of discontinued business segment 25, /- Changes in Group structure (1) (16,937) (26,566) CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES 301 (36,391) Cash flows from financing activities + New financial lease loans New long- and medium-term loans - 5,885 - Repayments of financial lease borrowings (34) (146) - Repayments of other borrowings - (2,895) + Accrued interest - 1,058 + Proceeds from issue of capital 5,658 30,472 +/- Purchase/sale of own shares (48) 428 +/- Other - - CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES 5,600 34,802 Net change in cash and cash equivalents (36,781) (56,734) Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 78,653 80,894 Effect of exchange rate fluctuations Cash and cash equivalents at end of period 42,655 24,750 (1) including cash from companies acquired or sold

Ubisoft reports full-year results

Ubisoft reports full-year results Ubisoft reports full-year 2007-08 results Sales 1 up 36% (43% at constant exchange rates). Record-high profitability and net cash position: o Current operating income 2 : 14.3% of sales. o Cash flow from